Helen’s happy to be hospital’s first port of call

Helen Wilkinson plays a very important role at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The Help and Advice Service administrator is the first port of call, along with her department colleagues, for anyone who has concerns - or compliments - on hospital matters.

It’s a job she loves and has been in the role for six years out of her 11 years within the NHS.

“We try to solve concerns as quickly as we can,” said Helen. “without the need to go down a formal process.

“It is all about being helpful and getting the answers that people come in for as quickly as possible.”

Highlights of her job are the times when she “getting someone sorted out when they come in with a problem, and we can send them away with their questions answered.” Just as welcome is the praise that patients and their families give.

And if that can come through nominations for the Sunderland Echo Health Awards, it’s even better, said Helen who urged people to put in entries for whoever their health hero may be.

Helen added: “Compliments are a big thing. They give staff a boost and they feel more worthy to do what we are doing. It makes it all worthwhile.”

Helen is one example of the hard-working staff in the health profession.

The awards recognise the excellent work done by all aspects of the health service, whether its behind-the-scenes heroes or frontline staff.

And it’s down to our readers to make sure the very best of our health profession get the recognition they deserve.

The Sunderland Echo Health awards are under way and we want to make this year’s competition bigger and better than ever before.

But to do that, we need your nominations in the categories listed below.

And once you submit your nominations for the heroes of health, we’ll do our best to report on most of the nominated causes in the weeks to come.

That way, they get the recognition they deserve, whether or not they lift a trophy at the end of the competition.

The competition is being held in association with City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, with NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group as partner sponsors and Olivers Dental Studio as category sponsors.

So all we need now is for you to highlight the people who have helped you most.

The very best will make it to our grand finals, to be held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on April 14.

Before then, you have plenty of time to nominate with a deadline of March 31 to get those entries in. So get nominating and make sure our unsung heroes get the limelight they deserve.